The Secret Doctor

by Joanna Neil

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ‘DID you manage to fix the break in the fence?’ Grace asked. ‘I know you were up and about bright and early this morning.’

  Lacey nodded. ‘I made a temporary repair. There are still several other gaps in the boundary fence, but none of them lead onto Jake’s land, thank goodness. They mostly go towards the woods and the mangroves.’ She folded laundry and put it into a basket. ‘I’ve arranged for someone to come and do the repairs for me, but he can’t manage it until next week.’

  ‘We’ll have to keep an eye on Toby,’ Grace murmured, ‘and if we go into the woods we’ll have to make sure he’s kept on a leash.’

  ‘Yes…we need to be careful with the deer out there. They wander about freely, and I suppose he could startle them and cause a few problems.’

  Perhaps it was a deer that had trampled the boundary line and had made her fearful the other night. Lacey’s brow knotted. The whole incident still nagged in a corner of her mind, but for now she tried to push it aside. The plain fact was she had to get used to that sort of thing if she was to live on contentedly in this house.

  ‘Tom’s still grumpy about the neighbour…though I suppose you can’t blame Jake for reacting the way he did, with his shrubs mangled and a strange dog invading his property.’ Grace was ironing T-shirts for the children. Tom had already managed to cover two shirts with grass stains, twigs and sap from various plants, and he’d only been here for a few hours.

  ‘I think the problem was that Jake had other things on his mind, or he might have been a bit more amenable. He’d had a bad day, going out to the diver who was sick, and it perhaps wasn’t the best of times for Toby to decide to break in and challenge the iguana. We’re very lucky things ended the way they did.’

  Grace nodded. ‘I suppose so.’ She put the T-shirts to one side and switched off the iron. ‘Shall we take a walk through the woods this morning, and see if any of the deer are roaming about?’ She smiled. ‘Cassie wants to try out her new camcorder—I’m sure she thinks she’s going to work in the film industry like Rob one of these days.’

  Lacey smiled. ‘Yes, I heard Rob giving her a few tips before he left for his meeting with Jake.’ She looked fondly towards the children, who were playing tag outside in the garden. ‘She was fascinated, and he said he’d take a look at anything she videoed while she was here.’

  ‘Then he’s made a friend for life. Cassie’s very loyal, once she’s made up her mind about someone.’

  They set off for the woods half an hour later, with Tom and Toby leading the way and Cassie aiming the camera at everything that moved. Beyond the woods were the mangrove swamps, where small, reddish-brown deer fed on their leaves, and supplemented their diet with palm berries.

  ‘Look, Mum,’ Cassie said in a hushed voice, ‘there’s a fawn. Isn’t he lovely?’ She captured his image on camera. He was tiny, with long, spindly legs and white markings.

  ‘He’s gorgeous,’ Grace agreed. She laid a restraining hand on Tom’s shoulder. ‘Don’t go too close, because the daddy deer will protect his family. He’s watching us, to see what we’ll do.’

  ‘They’ve got funny white tails,’ Tom said, watching the fawn graze on the edge of the group. He patted Toby’s head while his other hand held more tightly to the leash. ‘You can’t go near them. They’ve got great big antlers and they might hurt you.’ Toby whined softly in response.

  Later, they walked back through the trees to where rocks jutted out against the skyline. There were lots of craggy inlets here, overgrown by ferns and other vegetation, and Tom and Cassie went to explore the numerous crevices along the way.

  ‘They’re like little dens,’ Tom shouted. ‘Can we play here?’

  ‘Perhaps another day, when we don’t have Toby with us,’ Grace answered. ‘He’s probably getting thirsty, and we should be starting back now.’

  Rob was at the house when they returned some half an hour later. Jake was with him, going over the film schedules that Rob had worked out, and as soon as Tom saw him his mouth flattened in an expression that said he was ready for battle.

  ‘You’re that man who shouted at my dog,’ he said, his eyes accusing him.

  Jake’s gaze was rueful. He nodded. ‘You’re right. I’m sorry about that. He wouldn’t stay where I told him and I was afraid he was going to be hurt.’

  ‘Well, you still shouldn’t shout.’ Tom was obviously not ready to be placated.

  ‘No. I shouldn’t.’

  Jake looked Tom in the eye, gauging his response, while Tom returned the gaze in equal measure.

  ‘You don’t know much about dogs, do you?’ Tom was frowning.

  ‘No, I don’t.’

  ‘And you don’t know much about iguanas either.’

  ‘That’s true.’ Jake gave him a thoughtful look. ‘I wondered who’d been eating my hibiscus flowers. I guess they make a good meal for an iguana, don’t they?’

  Tom grinned. ‘Yeah… They ate all my mum’s flowers, back home. She was mad as mad.’

  Jake chuckled. ‘I’ll bet she was.’ He glanced briefly at Rob, who was busy keying things into the computer. ‘Are you okay with sorting all that if I leave you to it?’

  ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘Good.’ Jake looked back at Tom. ‘I want to make a peace offering,’ he said. ‘How about you all come over to my place and spend the afternoon in the pool? If your mother and Lacey agree, of course.’

  Tom thought about that. He frowned. ‘Will Toby be able to come as well?’

  Jake nodded. ‘Of course. He’ll be the guest of honour.’

  Tom gave a beaming smile and turned to look at his mother. ‘Can we, Mum? Can we go and play in the pool? It’s really hot and it’d be awesome to go in the water.’

  Grace glanced at Lacey. ‘What do you think? Do we have plans for this afternoon?’

  Lacey shook her head. ‘Sitting by the pool sounds fine by me.’

  ‘Then that’s settled.’ Jake smiled. ‘I’ll see you over there as soon as you’ve had time to get yourselves organised.’ He glanced at Rob. ‘What about you, Rob? Are you going to join us?’

  Rob shook his head. ‘I’ll give it a miss, thanks. Work to do.’

  ‘Okay, I’ll leave you to it, then.’

  Lacey watched Jake walk away. There was a spring in his step, and she was pleased to see that he had bounced back from his dejected mood of the day before and was now his usual self.

  She went with Grace to put on a swimsuit, topping it with a wrap-around beach dress that would keep the sun from burning her skin. The thought of spending time with Jake was already making her pulse quicken and causing nervous excitement to pool in her abdomen.

  ‘You like him, don’t you?’ Grace asked, as she tied up her fair hair in a soft, cotton-covered band. ‘I can see it in your eyes when you try not to look at him.’

  Lacey gave a husky laugh. ‘Is it that obvious?’

  ‘Only to me, perhaps.’

  Lacey made a face. ‘I was trying to keep it a secret. I don’t want him to get the idea that I have any feelings at all for him. If you give Jake an inch, he takes a mile, and I’ve learned the hard way to be cautious.’

  ‘Well, I can see how you might be worried about getting involved with a man like him. They’re used to having it all, aren’t they? And we tend to be just one of any number of women who fall for their chat-up lines.’

  That was truer than Lacey cared to admit, but she couldn’t help but look forward to spending time with Jake. She missed the way his arms had curved around her, and her lips still bore the imprint of his kiss. It had been such a fleeting moment, but it stayed with her, and if she closed her eyes and thought about it, her lips tingled in delicious expectation.

  But it wasn’t to be, was it? She and Jake would never be a couple. Jake didn’t ‘do’ the family thing, children and responsibility, and all that went along with it…everything that was vitally important to her. He still had issues to work through over putting his career aside
for a life of devil may care, and Lacey had to be on her guard. She had been hurt once, and it was all too clear that she could be badly wounded all over again if she let Jake into her heart.

  They trooped over to Jake’s house some half an hour later, armed with floats, a beach ball and inflated armbands for the children. Lacey took with her a bottle of sparkling white wine, soft drinks for the children, and a small selection of snacks. She didn’t want to feel that Jake was being left to provide everything. He might be ultra-wealthy, but with Lacey it was a matter of pride.

  Cassie and Tom took to the water instantly. They played in a shallow header pool that led to the deeper, adult one, while Toby watched from the tiled edge, panting, running up and down and trying to work out how he could get to them without getting himself wet.

  ‘Come here, Toby,’ Jake said. Lacey studied him briefly, her mouth going suddenly dry. Jake was wearing swim shorts beneath an unbuttoned cotton shirt. His skin was lightly bronzed, glowing with health, and she had to fight an overwhelming desire to lightly run her hands over his chest. It made her hot and bothered, just looking at him, and all at once the prospect of cooling off in the water seemed enticing.

  Jake, thankfully, was not paying any attention to her just then. He made the dog sit, and then, after glancing at Grace for confirmation, he placed a chew-bone in Toby’s eager mouth. ‘Go and gnaw on this for a while. That should take your mind off what they’re doing.’

  Grace watched him and smiled. ‘You learn fast, don’t you?’

  ‘I guess it’s a case of having to, where young Tom is concerned.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘I’ve already crossed him once, so heaven forbid I should do it again. Jane picked up the bone for me from town this morning.’

  Toby could scarcely believe his luck. Just in case anyone should try to take it from him, he slunk away, taking his coveted prize over to the grassed area beneath the palms, some distance away. He kept a watchful eye on things, ready to move on if anyone should make a move to come near.

  Lacey glanced at Jake from under her lashes. Yesterday’s trouble with Tom and the dog had obviously made an impact on him since he had thought carefully about how to make amends. The chew bone was a definite start, and she wondered all over again how much she really knew this man. Everything she learned about him made her heart squeeze that little bit more. It would be so very easy to fall in love with him.

  She turned her attention to the children. Their shrieks of delight filled the air as they tossed the ball to one another in the pool, and after a while, she and Grace decided they could be left safely enough while the adults took a dip in the deeper water. Lacey sat on the edge of the pool, ready to slide down into the water, watching Grace as she swam towards the children.

  ‘Come and join us,’ Jake said, coming towards her. He reached for her, putting his arms around her waist and tugging her gently down into the water. As she slowly slid into the pool, her soft curves were crushed against his long, male body, her legs tangled with his, and a wave of heat ran through her in an instant from head to toe. He was lean and muscled, with strong arms and thighs, and his whole body was honed to perfection. The way that his hard frame fused with her feminine softness had a stunning effect on her. It went straight to her head. It was intoxicating.

  Unfortunately, Jake knew exactly what effect he was having on her. Flame glimmered in the depths of his eyes, and he held onto her for just a fraction longer than was necessary. Then as he released her, his touch was a fleeting caress along the rounded line of her hip.

  It was more than enough to leave her yearning for more and she berated herself inwardly for her weakness…but the soft stroke of his hand on her body was tantalising, a sweet invitation for her to move closer to him and lose herself in his embrace. Of course, she couldn’t let that happen, and perhaps he knew it. Perhaps he’d meant all along to tease her.

  She pulled in a deep breath and slipped away from him, going to join Grace at the far end of the pool.

  It was a glorious afternoon. The sun burned high in a cerulean sky, and the water cooled her hot skin. She made a deliberate effort to keep out of touching distance of Jake from then on, fearful of igniting the lava stream that bubbled just below the surface.

  They alternately swam, sunbathed and chatted about this and that, until the children decided that they were hungry and came to nibble on the snacks that were laid out on the poolside table.

  Tom looked thoughtfully at Jake. ‘My mum said you used to go out and find sunken treasure,’ he said, sitting on a chair by the table and swinging his legs while munching on potato chips. ‘Did you see lots of dead bodies down in the sea?’ His eyes lit up in eager anticipation. ‘Did you see skeletons?’

  ‘Uh…no, thankfully, I didn’t.’ Jake was obviously a bit nonplussed by Tom’s direct manner. ‘Luckily most of the people managed to escape on longboats or small sail craft when their ships went down.’

  ‘My dad has a wrecked ship in his fish tank back home,’ Tom persisted, sticking to his theme. ‘There’s a skeleton in there as well, and a treasure chest, and the fish swim in and out.’ He thought about that for a moment or two, and then confided, ‘I think Skelly was looking for the treasure and then things went wrong and he died.’

  ‘It’s not a real skeleton, silly,’ Cassie said, her green eyes crinkling with amusement. She was fair-haired, like her mother, a pretty girl, and wise for her six years.

  Tom stuck out his tongue. ‘You don’t know nothing, Cass. I think he found the gold and the jewels and they was too heavy for him to take back up to the top of the water, so he laid down and died.’

  Cassie started to laugh. ‘You’re so funny.’ She danced around and began to chant. ‘Skelly-welly lost his jewels, had to make do with jelly. Rubbed his belly, couldn’t watch telly, that was the end of Skelly-welly.’

  Tom’s expression darkened ominously like a thundercloud, and Cassie took to her heels with a shriek as he started towards her. Her shouts filled the air, and Tom’s furious ‘I’ll get you’ rang out over the poolside.

  Jake gazed after them in bemusement. ‘And they say parenting is fun?’ He shook his head. ‘Beats me,’ he said. ‘It all looks pretty murderous to me…but, then, what do I know?’

  Lacey laughed. ‘They’re like this all the time, apparently. I don’t know how Grace copes.’

  ‘Tranquillisers would be an option,’ Grace murmured, ‘but I’m holding out until things get desperate.’ She stood up and went to rescue Cassie from her vengeful brother, and for a while their commotion blotted out any other sound.

  ‘Heaven keep me from ever getting into that situation,’ Jake murmured. ‘They never let up, do they?’

  ‘It doesn’t seem like it.’ Lacey mused on the problem. ‘I suppose the key would be to use distraction tactics.’

  He nodded, brightening. ‘You could be right. Distraction might be just the thing.’ He thought about it some more. ‘Do you think they’d like to see the treasure collection? I know most people are interested in what we managed to find.’

  ‘Would they like to see it? You’re kidding, aren’t you?’ She raised a brow. ‘I’d like to see it. I thought you’d never ask.’

  He chuckled. ‘You should have said…I’d have dropped everything just to give you a tour. It’s housed in the annexe, so we could go right now, if you like?’

  Lacey was thrilled by the offer. ‘Then what are we waiting for? Just lead the way.’

  They all went with him to the annexe, including Toby, who brought what was left of his chew-bone along with him.

  ‘We have a complex security system here,’ Jake murmured as he keyed in the code that would open up the door to the solid stone building. ‘It’s linked to the local police station.’ He pushed open the outer door. ‘Most of the artefacts are held in a museum in town, but this is the family collection, all together under one roof. My father tried to categorise the finds, so there are displays to do with battle, weaponry and so on, in one room, and other rooms house jewell
ery, or household goods… There are some religious artefacts, too.’

  Cassie and Tom were already looking around, their eyes wide with wonder. ‘There’s a huge cannon!’ Tom exclaimed, running over to it and peering into the huge bronze barrel. ‘Is there a cannonball in there?’

  ‘I hope not,’ Jake said dryly, ‘because if there was one in there and somebody fired it up, the end result could be a bit messy, don’t you think? The cannonballs could fly around a thousand yards and do some serious damage.’

  ‘Wow!’ Tom was impressed. Lacey guessed a thousand was the biggest number he knew.

  Jake stayed with the boy, showing him the weapons on display, knives, daggers and pistols, while the girls moved away to feast their eyes on glittering gold and silver jewellery. Some of it was beautifully engraved, or delicately shaped into bracelets, necklaces or rings, and many of the items on display were encrusted with rubies and emeralds.

  ‘I love this little cup,’ Cassie said, pausing to stare, wide-eyed, at a golden chalice. ‘It’s so pretty, and it really shines. It’s like the sun’s coming out.’

  ‘It is,’ Grace agreed. ‘The light from the window makes it glow, doesn’t it?’

  Lacey was entranced by this collection. The jewels were out of this world, and there was a casket of gemstones on display, reflecting the rays of the sun so that it seemed that a rainbow of colour filled that corner of the room.

  In another corner, there were ornamental gold plates, depicting battle scenes, or seafaring exploits, and in yet another cabinet there were silver tankards, jugs and drinking vessels.

  ‘It’s amazing,’ she murmured. ‘I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.’

  ‘I’m glad you like it,’ Jake said softly, coming to stand beside her. He laid a hand lightly around her waist. ‘I feel privileged to have these things in my home. There’s so much history locked up in these rooms.’

  Grace came to join them. ‘This is all breathtaking,’ she said, looking around. ‘I’m so glad you gave us the chance to come and see it.’ She frowned. ‘Unfortunately, Tom’s trying to work out how much some of the gold would fetch on the open market. He’s decided you might, at the very least, be able to afford a hundred rides on the go-karts in town.’